Category: In Search of Steve Ditko

Jonathan Ross’ superb documentary

Mr. A. Machine

Before and after working for Marvel Comics, Steve Ditko was an artist for Charlton in Derby, Connecticut. In its Atlas days, before returning to superhero comics, Marvel was a step down from National Periodical Publications, aka DC, with Charlton at the low end of the comic book publishing business.

Konga #1, 1960, based upon the movie and illustrated by Steve Ditko. Incredibly, there is a significant connection between this comic book and my friend Prue Bury — “Konga” director John Lemont.

When Atlas nearly collapsed in 1957, Stan Lee kept the company going by using a large stash of previously unpublished inventory stories. But Stan had to lay off his reliable stable of artists who had drawn those inventory stories, including my pal Joe Sinnott. Joe was desperate for work and he found it at Charlton by anonymously penciling thousands of Romance story pages for Vince Colletta.

Ten years later comic books were back in a big way, and Marvel was taking over the top spot from DC. Joe had returned to the Bullpen, but Steve Ditko left for reasons that will never be fully explained. Ditko returned to Charlton, where he drew mystery stories, undoubtedly for a fraction of the page rate that he was earning at Marvel plotting and drawing Spider-Man and Dr. Strange.

One of the ways that Charlton saved money was by not having staffers who were specialists in hand lettering. Instead, Charlton had A. Machine. One of the fixed links I have on this blog is for Charlton Comics: The Movie. The team behind the project have uncovered the secret identity of A. Machine, and they will reveal it in their upcoming documentary.

A is A

Steve Ditko, 1927-2018

Steve Ditko, one of the true giants of comic book creators, has died. Ditko was Ditko, and he was a one-of-a-kind original who was born to draw comic books.

It’s reported that Ditko was found dead in his New York apartment on June 29, and that he had probably been dead for a couple of days.

I have been pledging to Ditko’s Kickstarter campaigns from the beginning, and the last one ended on the 4th of July. I have to wonder when his publisher, Robin Snyder, learned of Ditko’s death. He lived alone, and perhaps it was Robin who called the NYPD to request that a well-being check be made.

Other than the available sketchy facts, and my speculation, there are my feelings about the loss of Steve Ditko. Something I have said before is that if you aren’t a Silver Age comic book fan, there is no way I can convey to you how deeply I feel about Ditko’s compelling artwork. To use a bit of Stan Lee hyperbole, it got under my skin and went all the way to the marrow of my bones.

From what I know, saying that Ditko was co-creator of Dr. Strange is incorrect. In a Marvel Comics blurb from Stan Lee upon the character’s first appearance in 1963, Lee said the character was Steve’s idea. And now he’s being played by Benedict Cumberbatch! Something else I’ve said before is that it’s utterly amazing to me that the comic book characters I loved as a kid, starting over 50 years ago, are now generating billions of dollars in movie ticket sales. It’s un-f-in’ believable. And yet, here we are.

I’m rambling a bit here, but I’m stunned by this inevitable, sad news. Ditko’s greatest character is probably Mr. A, who was an inspiration for the Watchmen character Rorschach, along with Ditko’s The Question. Mr. A is anything but mainstream, but he is the embodiment of Ayn Rand’s “A is A” philosophy of Objectivism. Although I do not agree with Ditko’s closely held personal views, I sincerely respected his right to believe in them, and I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to provide direct support to him through Kickstarter.

Mr. A by Steve Ditko. Click to see high-resolution image.

The Failure of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism

https://youtu.be/ACkiKVtF3nU

I have watched this installment of “Frontline” three, or maybe even four, times since it first aired in 2009. If anything I think it goes easy on Bill Clinton, by not pointing out that at the end of his administration he agreed to ending the Glass-Steagall Act.

Mr. A by Ditko

Steve Ditko’s take on Ayn Rand’s philosophy deals with good vs. evil in terms of violent criminal activity, as you would expect from a comic book creator. As covered in the Frontline documentary, former SEC chairman Alan Greenspan adopted the extreme free market aspect of Rand’s Objectivism, as you would expect from an economist.

I like to think the fictional Mr. A would agree with me that what the Wall Street banks did by taking advantage of deregulation to commit legal fraud, in both its intent and the outcome of ten years ago, was corrupt and evil. Therein is what I see as the inherent irony of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.

Spider-Men On Display

An exhibit of original Spider-Man comic book art is currently on display in New York. It’s only a mile from Steve Ditko’s office at 200 West 51st St., so is there any chance that the co-creator of Spidey will drop in and check out the display? It’s safe to say, absolutely not!

http://13thdimension.com/inside-the-greatest-spider-man-art-exhibit-youll-ever-see/

The pages were provided by art dealer Mike “Romitaman” Burkey. I’ve done business with Mike in the past, and he is an honest and reputable dealer.

A Kick of Ditko

DitkoPkg

Robin Snyder’s Kickstarter project, reprinting the Ditko Public Service Package #2, is out and it’s here. Besides myself, financial contributors to the project include Mark Evanier, Neil Gaiman, and Jonathan Ross, whose name comes after Dennis F. Rogers.

DitkoSnyder

This is my first Kickstarter project, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the other two I’ve joined come out.